Probable Atlanta Braves pitcher and starting lineups vs. St. Louis Cardinals, June 26

The Atlanta Braves bounced back to win Game 2 of the series earlier this afternoon. Reynaldo Lopez was awarded the first game of today’s doubleheader and was his usual stingy self with points allowed.

Even though Lopez didn’t work deep in the ball game, his efforts combined with solid bullpen work were enough to propel Atlanta to a 6-2 victory. The offense was led by an impressive performance from Jarred Kelenic, who collected three hits (including a two-run homer). Hopefully the offense can repeat that good job supporting Elder in game two.

Bryce Elder (1-2, 6.46 ERA) was named Atlanta’s 27th man before Game 2 this afternoon. It’s likely that Elder would have been up soon anyway to continue Atlanta’s strategy of a six-man rotation. However, rain last night gave Elder the opportunity to start one of those two games. Elder, last pitcher for Atlanta on May 19, against the Padres. Unfortunately, this start was not his best performance as he only lasted three innings and allowed six earned runs.

Matthew Liberator (1-2, 4.46 MPM) has primarily worked in the Cardinals bullpen this season. However, he will make his fifth start of the season this evening against the Braves. Liberatore throws his slider more than any other pitch, and for good reason. It ranks in the 96th percentile by breaking the run value via Baseball Savant.